LEHI, Utah -- After three long years a Lehi couple was finally able to welcome their two boys home, and the heartwarming reunion between the parents and their adopted children was caught on camera.
The footage shot at the Salt Lake City International Airport has been viewed millions of times across various social media channels, and now the Grover family is speaking with FOX 13 News about their journey.
The family says they knew they were going to add two more boys to their family. Their search began four years ago, and while working with adoption agencies they found Joseph and Bronson.
But that was just the start of their journey.
“I believe in my heart that we were always supposed to be a family,” said Jennifer Grover.
Jennifer and her husband James Grover recalled the day their boys were finally able to come home.
“As soon as he saw me, as soon as he came around the corner, he yelled, 'Momma!' And he ran to me and jumped into my arms, and I couldn't believe I was holding him and he was home,” Grover said.
Now a month later, 14-year-old Joseph Grover feels at home.
“It's different, but I like it so much, I like it so much,” he said.
By the looks of 7-year-old Bronson dancing in the living room in front of his new family, he is enjoying it too. To get to this point, the family went through a lot of heartbreak.
Their journey started in 2012, and the Grovers knew right away Joseph and Bronson were meant to be in their family. But shortly after the adoption went through, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped adoptions by foreign families.
“Even though they were completely legally ours, they weren't allowed to leave the country,” James Grover said.
Nearly 10,000 miles away from home, there was nothing the Grovers could do.
“It filled our mind and our hearts full-time: the worry, and the concern, and doing everything we could to get home,” James Grover said.
The Grovers knew Joseph and Bronson often weren't getting enough food and were getting sick.
“It affected our whole family, not just as us as parents, but their siblings,” Jennifer Grover said.
Finally, on February 19th, they got an email saying their boys were coming home. They were two of 159 children allowed to leave the country.
“To see them, but to see they were excited to see us and recognized us after not seeing us after 13 months as mom and dad, and to want to run into our arms... there's no better feeling,” Jennifer Grover said.
“Very happy and very excited to see them,” Joseph said.
With them, their forever family is complete.
“It's amazing, the love is immense, and the ability to be able to protect and provide for them, there's no other words in your life that could describe it,” James Grover said.
The family says they couldn't believe how much attention this video got, since they've had messages of love and appreciation for sharing this precious moment. See below for the original video Jennifer Grover posted on Facebook.
